Apple Music is now available on the Xbox

If you've been waiting for Apple Music to make its way to Microsoft's Xbox consoles, your wait is over. You can now download the Apple Music app on the Xbox Series X and S. You get a one-month free trial if you're a new user. The interface is similar to how it looks on Apple TV. According to Apple and Microsoft, there are plans to bring the Apple Music and TV apps to Windows 11 later this year. 

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'Valheim' will exclusively launch on Xbox consoles in 2023

Viking survival game Valheim will finally make its way from the Windows PC to become an exclusive console title on the Xbox. During Microsoft's Xbox Game Showcase, publisher Coffee Stain and developer Iron Gate announced that Valheim will be coming to the Xbox Game Pass for the Xbox One and Xbox Series X in early spring 2023. It will also be playable via PC Game Pass (and on the Microsoft Store) in fall 2022.

Both versions will have full cross-play support at launch when they're released so Vikings can "build, fight, and survive together"—whether you got the title on Steam, Microsoft Store, or console. Valheim is also expected to get its Mistlands update this year, which brings a new, tree-dense biome.

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Microsoft used Xbox dev kits for a 'Halo Infinite' tournament

Photo by Billy Freeman on Unsplash

The ongoing Xbox shortage hasn't just affected consumers; even Microsoft itself had run into issues because of it. This weekend, the company reportedly used Xbox Series X dev kits to run its first big Halo Infinite tournament, the Halo Championship Series' Raleigh Major. Microsoft couldn't get enough retail consoles to use. 

But, according to 343 Industries' esports lead Tahir Hasandjekic, the dev kits are "functionally identical" to off-the-shelf consoles and would operate in that mode. They won't look like the competitors' consoles at home, but they should function the same. In the simplest terms to describe the situation, Hasandjekic said, the "global supply chain shortage is real."

Via: Engadget

Xbox brings Xbox Cloud Gaming to its consoles

If you want to try out a game on Xbox without downloading it, Microsoft gives you that option with the start of the Xbox Cloud Gaming rollout. It's coming to Canada and 25 other regions first to users with a Game Pass Ultimate subscription. If it still hasn't made it your way, you might need to wait a bit as the November release is for a "subset of Xbox gamers," with everyone in the supported markets getting it "over the coming weeks."

Xbox Cloud Gaming will make it easy to demo games you aren't ready to purchase yet. Or you can jump into a multiplayer game with a friend on a title you haven't installed yet. Those with an Xbox One can try out next-generation exclusive titles like Recompile, The Riftbreaker, and The Medium. If you're a fan of Microsoft Flight Simulator, that's coming to the cloud game library in early 2022.

Via: The Verge